PGHAM-1 cell line was derived from an N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP)-induced pancreatic tumor in a Syrian hamster. The tumors were minced and subcutaneously transplanted with a trocar into the interscapular area of untreated 5-week-old hamsters. The recipient hamsters were killed at 6–8 weeks after transplantation, and a portion of the tumor tissue was serially transplanted. After subcutaneous transplantation 8 times, the tumor was extracted under germ-free conditions, Cells that had been maintained in culture for 60 passages and had become established as a cell line were named PGHAM-1 The tumor showed a striking similarity to human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and had a moderate to well-differentiated histology. PGHAM-1 contains a K-ras point mutation at codon 12, one of the most frequent types of K-ras mutation in human pancreatic cancers. Researchers have frequently used PGHAM-1 in experiments because of their cells’ rapid growth and a high rate of metastasis.

The PGHAM cell line was established from the pancreatic carcinoma cells of a Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). This is useful for many forms of research because of its rapid growth and a high rate of metastasis. The tumor that these cells were removed from, in the hamster, shows a striking resemblance to human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. PGHAM cells are very useful in biomedical studies related to pancreatic cancer.

Figure 2. Protein expression of Cyclophilin B in PGHAM cells. DNA plasmid expressing Cyclophilin B or siRNA targeting Cyclophilin B were transfected into PGHAM cells following Altogen Biosystems transfection protocol. At 72 hours post-transfection the cells were analyzed by Western Blot for protein expression levels (normalized by total protein, 10 µg of total protein loaded per each well). Untreated cells used as a negative control.